Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured left) and former PBA Tour exempt player Kelly Kulick led their respective fields at the end of qualifying in the PBA Scorpion and Women's Scorpion Championships at Thunderbowl Lanes Monday.

The Scorpion Championships are part of the inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling, a festival of professional bowling which will include 13 championship events by the time it ends on Sept. 6.

Weber, a 34-time PBA Tour champion, averaged 225.57 for 14 games to overtake first-round leader Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas. The St. Ann, Mo., veteran posted a total of 3,158 pins for an 84–pin lead over Barnes.

Also finishing in the top four Monday, earning first-round byes for match play Tuesday, were Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., in third place with a 3,059 total and and "The big Finn" Mika Koivuniemi (right), Hartland, Mich., with 3,053 pins.

Three more international players made the first cut. Two-hander Jason Belmonte, Australia, was sixth with 3,042, Sweden Martin Larsen landed in 15th place with 2,920 and PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, was 25th with 2,841.

"I made the right ball change this afternoon," Weber said of his solid second seven-game block. "I struggled the first couple of games, but once I got lined up, the last few games were real good.

"I got the season off to a good start in the Motor City Open," Weber added, "but I didn't bowl all that good in the Cheetah Championship. My brother Rich came into town and told me I was leaning in my approach again. I need to stay more upright, so that's what I'm working on and it's obviously the key for me."

Kulick (pictured left), in her second year as a PBA Women's Series presented by BOWL.COM exempt player, averaged 212.43 to take the women's qualifying lead. She finished with 2,974 pins for 14 games to slip past defending Women's Scorpion Champion Michelle Feldman (right) of Auburn, N.Y., who had a 2,950 total and first-round women's leader Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., who finished in third place with a 2,935 total.

Among the top 8 are Two time World Champion Clara Juliana Guerrero, Colombia (7th, 2,866) and Adrienne Miller, Albuquerque, N.M. (8th, 2,784), who qualified through the TQR.

Kulick, the only woman ever to bowl a full season on the male-dominated PBA Tour (2006-07), said simply, "The lanes were very hard. It seems like every second round, they hook more. I'm fortunately one of the ladies who can play a deeper angle, but pin carry is always an issue when you're playing inside."

Kulick has won a Women's U.S. Open and a USBC Queens title, but is still chasing her first PBA Women's Series presented by USBC title.

"It has been frustrating," she said. "I still consider bowling my livelihood. I know I need to win a title to secure another season on tour, so, yes, winning one of these is important. This is what I love to do."

The top 28 players in the men's Scorpion Championship and the top eight in the Women's Series Scorpion Championship advance to best-of-seven-game match play beginning Tuesday morning. The finals of both events will be contested on Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes for airing on ESPN Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. ET.

After 71 qualifying games in five World Series of Bowling events, Steve Jaros (right) is the "Lumber Leader" with 15,822 pins – a 222.85 average – in pursuit of a $10,000 bonus for knocking down the most pins in a combined total of 103 games of qualifying. Barnes is second, 13 pins behind. The winner will be decided after the final round of qualifying in the PBA World Championship on Sept. 3.

 

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PBA Scorpion Championship - Final Qualifying Standings

Players with position, hometown and 14-game total. The top 28 advance to best-of-seven-game single-elimination match play Tuesday.

1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,158
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,074
3, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3,059
4, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,053
5, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 3,048
6, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,042
7, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,014
8, Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 2,997
9, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 2,954
10, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,951
11, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,946
12, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 2,930
13, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,924
14, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2,921
15, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,920
16, Andrew Cain, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,909
17, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 2,893
18, Thomas Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,883
19, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2,865
20, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,859
20, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,859
22, John Nolen, Grand Blanc, Mich., 2,855
23, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 2,852
24, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, 2,851
25, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2,841
26, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,824
27, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 2,816
28, Rhino Page, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,814

Missed Cut:
29, (tie) Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,813, $1,600
31, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2,803, $1,600
32, (tie) Tim Mack, Indianapolis, and Stuart Williams, England, 2,797, $1,600
34, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,794, $1,600
35, (tie) Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., and Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,792, $1,600
37, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 2,788, $1,500
38, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 2,781, $1,500
39, Tae-Hwa Jeong, South Korea, 2,769, $1,500
40, Daniel Patterson, Utica, N.Y., 2,767, $1,500
41, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,765, $1,500
42, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 2,759, $1,500
43, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 2,758, $1,500
44, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 2,757, $1,500
45, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,756, $1,500
46, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,752, $1,500
47, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,736, $1,500
48, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,731, $1,500
49, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 2,729, $1,500
50, Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., 2,722, $1,500
51, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,715, $1,500
52, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,714, $1,500
53, Michael Cimba, Monroeville, Pa., 2,711, $1,500
54, (tie) Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, and Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,707, $1,450
56, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,697, $1,400
57, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,693, $1,400
58, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 2,689, $1,400
59, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,686, $1,400
60, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 2,674, $1,400
61, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 2,669, $1,400
62, Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 2,649, $1,400
63, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,645, $1,400
64, Joseph Hostetler, Minerva, Ohio, 2,609, $1,400
65, Jeffrey Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 2,601, $1,400
66, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,597, $1,400
67, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 2,588, $1,400
68, George Lambert IV, Canada, 2,586, $1,400
69, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,562, $1,400
70, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,520, $1,400
71, Steven Black, Phoenix, 2,459, $1,400
72, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, withdrew, $1,400

 

PBA Women's Series Scorpion Championship - Final Qualifying Standings

Players with position, hometown and 14-game total. The top 8 advance to best-of-seven-game single-elimination match play Tuesday.

1, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,974
2, Michelle Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., 2,950
3, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,935
4, Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, 2,921
5, Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 2,916
6, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,868
7, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 2,866
8, Adrienne Miller, Albuquerque, N.M., 2,784

Missed Cut:
9, Tammy Boomershine, North Ogden, Utah, 2,777, $1,400
10, Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 2,762, $1,400
11, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 2,750, $1,400
12, Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, 2,746, $1,400
13, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,738, $1,400
14, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 2,722, $1,400
15, Amanda Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,721, $1,400
16, Stefanie Nation, Arlington, Texas, 2,706, $1,400
17, Jennifer Petrick, Canton, Ohio, 2,703, $1,400
18, Tina Stickney, Chandler, Ariz., 2,702, $1,400
19, Lee Sun Hee, South Korea, 2,596, $1,400
20, Andrea Lucente, Youngstown, Ohio, 2,539, $1,400

 

World Series Of Bowling Lumber Leader Standings (after 71 games)

1, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 15,822
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 15,809
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 15,775
4, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 15,510
5, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 15,490
6, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 15,436
7, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 15,433
8, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 15,295
9, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 15,261
10, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 15,258